A large Egyptian level touted as the
darker, gnarlier sequel to Alk07 (review).
It certainly shares the Egyptian theme,
but with a fully different textures, which
haven't translated as well from Daikatana
(and other games) as well as one might expect.
This gives a cruder and less elegant look
than the previous map, though it's still
a consistent theme. Architecturally the
map avoids recognisable Egyptian / temple
designs, and is mostly "an Alk map
by numbers". Thus, the designs are
solid and angles are well used, but it feels
quite arbitrary and is hardly more distinctive
than a re-textured Alk11 (review) would
be. However, right at the end of the map
there are two more impressively designed
areas, that also eschew Egyptian designs,
but have more dramatic and memorable architecture.
It's a pity the more distinctive style of
those areas wasn't present earlier in the
map. Build quality is fine, but lighting
is mostly unsourced, a curious omission.
There isn't much exploration, but there
is one very nicely placed, and useful secret.
The mostly two tier layout does mean that
at some points if you fall off the upper
tier, it's a long way to get back up. Gameplay
also sticks to the Alk tradition of being
tough and continuous, though a good ammo
balance should make it enjoyable for most
players. Medieval monsters are used, along
with some custom monsters, including Scourge
of Armagon's ever-so-cute Gremlins. The
latter usually just attack in gangs, but
are sometimes well placed to show their
entertaining characteristics. Combats are
a blend of normal fighting and ambushes,
which are frequent but initially "light".
Later on such surprise attacks, though predictable,
feature waves of monsters, which proves
a more exciting challenge in the final arena.
Weapons are in fair supply, as is ammo,
so it's a well balanced map. Skill settings
tend to affect weapons rather than monster
numbers.
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